Best friends
by Stevie Radleigh
Summary: I have wrote a Nicki/Tom fantfict for you all to enjoy. It's just after Nicki gets punched by Kyle. Nicki is hiding a secret and Tom wants to know what it is. Please read and review :D Enjoy Sorry for any spelling mistakes Story dedicated to HedgieX
1. Are they just friends?

Best friends  
Chapter 1

**Author's notes:** This is a Nicki/Tom fanfict set in series 7 episdode 28/29/30 and everything else which happened before e.g. Nicki arriving and Josh finding out he had schizophrenia had all happened like normal and Josh is still in hospital also Nicki has just got punched.

She was now standing in the 'kitchen' part of the staffroom with an ice-pack on her cheek, where kyle had punched her. Kyle had alweay been a bad nut, getting into fights, shouting at teachers but he had never been known to hit a teacher. She was the first. She thought to herself "Did I do something wrong?"

When Tom and Michael finished excluding Kyle, Tom ran straight to the staffroom and straight into the arms of his best knew that she was ther because she had a free period. She would be there marking her Year 11 past papers planning her lessons. He loved his best friend and would do anything for her but there was something between them and they both knew it but none of them had decided to act on it...yet.

He calmly walked into the staffroom and saw her there in the kitchen. Her back facing him as she looked out of the window, holding the ice-pack to her face. "Does it hurt." he asked her. She quickly turned around her hair flying everywhere and replied partly sarcastically "What do you think." He made his way to her now and took the ice-pack out of her left hand. He then grasped her right hand and pulled her into the direction of the chairs.

She didn't know how it happened but she was now with her head in Ton's lap while he was playing with her hair and soothing her cheek with the ice-pack. He had to admit she looked so pretty with her hair strewn over his lap, looking a bit vunerable. He stopped his train of thought and remembered that this was Nicki Boston he was thinking about no way on earth would she ever look vunerable and if she could mind read...Boy, he sure was getting a punch. Just like Kyle had done to her but much...much worse. She had to admit, She liked Tom. He was sweet, considerate and gentle and unlike the other guys in her life she could trust him. He would be there for her and she would be there for him.

He pulled her hair back and looked at her cheek. The swelling had went down but there was a bruise, quite a bad bruise. "You'll need to take a look in the mirror." Tom said to her. She sat up, got a mirror out of her blazer pocket and looked at her cheek. "Oh my god." She said in surprise. She didn't think the bruise would be this bad. A big purple bruise covered most of her cheek. There was no-way she was ever going to live this down.

At that moment Michael walked into the staffroom. "Nicki." He said. "Just the person I wanted to see." There was no-one in the staffroom except Michael, Tom and Nicki. "I just wanted to say take next week off and let that bruise go away and I hope you get better." Michael said to Nicki. He then walked out of the room. "Do you think he will be alright with me leaving the now." Nicki asked Tom. "Yeah, he will be fine with it. I'll find you some cover for your next class." Tom said to her. She ran up to him, put her arms around him and cuddled him. He pulled her closer and put his arms around her. "Thank you." She told him. "For what?" he asked her, wondering what it was he had done."For being there for me." "No problem, you know I'm always here for you." he replied.

Nicki didn't know but Tom loved the position he was in. Nicki's arms were around him, her face was close to his and his head was resting on hers. She was so close that he could smell her perfume and shampoo roled into one. The smell of strawberry's was intoxicating. She pulled away and knelt down to pick her bag that was on the floor. Tom then grabbed her wrist, pulled her up and pressed his lips against hers. She didn't want this kind of attention from her best friend, her best friend was meant to be there for when she breaks up with someone else and was meant to be the one to comfort her. She didn't want this attention. It was unwanted attention. It was like the attention she got from her dad when she was younger.

She pulled away quickly when she noticed what he was going to do. "I can't do this, it's not you...it's me." She said apologising to him and then she ran out of the room. Tom just stood there shocked, he couldn't believe he even tried it, he got the signals wrong, they both wanted to just be friends.

She was now sitting in her car, mascara stains on her face. She didn't want to go home, she wanted to tell Tom about her life about how she was raped and abused when she was at high school. She couldn't. He probably hated her now. What she didn't know is that Tom wanted to tell her how sorry he was for even trying it. He knew how much she didn't trust anybody and he had just crossed that line and ruined their relationship. She had two choices. Either go and tell Tom everything about her life or go home. She chose to go home. She thought to herself he probably wouldn't want to know. She was wrong.


	2. Will he be there for her?

Best Friends  
Chapter 2

**Author's notes: **This is the last story I will be uploading for couple of days...at least. Exams are this week and although I will be not uloading them I will still be writing them so your stories that you have requested will be up soon. Enjoy and please review :D

* * *

Today was the last day she would be in this hell hole she calls a house. Tomorrow she would be back at school where she would have the kids to worry about and not herself. She had been in this house for 6 days and the only person who had come to visit her was Michael. He had been nice to come and visit her but he wasn't Tom...she wanted Tom and she didn't know why.

* * *

She had just entered the staffroom, when Michael had come over. She didn't want people's sympathy, she just wanted to get on with her day but no he 'HAD' to make sure she was OK. "Good to have you back." He told her with a smile, trying to be as friendly as possible. "Good to be back," She replied. "Daytime TV was turning my brains to mush." "Well I'm glad to have you back." He told her. She hoped Michael wasn't the only one.

* * *

It was break time and Nicki had been in for at least 3 hours and she hadn't seen Tom once. He had been avoiding her. She wanted to see him and ask him why he hadn't been to see her yet. Maybe he had been embarrassed for what he head tried to do. Whatever it was she had to talk to him...and NOW.

She was walking down the drama corridor when she heard shouts from the stairwell. "This is assault...you're all witnessing this." She could recognise that voice as kyle's but why was he here? He had been excluded and Michael had made sure of that.

Next thing she noticed was Michael walking down the corridor holding Kyle in his hands. Kyle noticed her and stopped and turned to face her. "Alright gorgeous." He said to her. Two words that brought her whole world crashing down. The memories of her as a child rushed through her mind. Her dad always used to say those words when he walked through the door. That was his first words out of his mouth the first time he done that dispicable act. The act that no dad was suppossed to do tho their child. She scrubbed herself red-raw in the shower after her dad had done that to her. She thought that she was unclean, but she didn't lure him so why did he do that?

She was on her way to see Tom but she was now with her back against the cold wall feeling terrified, the thoughts filling her mind. Her breathing was rapid and she had the feeling that someone was trying to strangle her. She couldn't see Tom when she was looking like this. He would ask too many questions about her home life...questions that she didn't want to answer.

She ran back to her classroom to cry there. She didn't know how people would take their strong and fearless english teacher crying. The one who had been there for everyone...The one who everybody needed. The one who would sit by you and say "Everything will be ok." She was there for everybody else but when she needed someone no-one was there for her except from Tom.

She wanted Tom...No, She needed Tom.

He was the only one who made her feel welcome, he surpisingly gave her a reason to live. She helped him help and his son and he would be there for her...at least she hoped he would be there for her.


	3. Could they be more than friends?

Best friends  
Chapter 3

**Author's notes:** I forgot to say that **this story **is **dedicated **to **HedgieX** because she is amazing a LOVE'S Tom and Nicki just as much as I do (Maybe even more) I also encourage you to read her story called **Bleeding love** and **Never-Clip-My-Wings-x** 's story called **Somethings Burning **they are both brilliant and inspiring . Enjoy :D xxx

He couldn't avoid her anymore, he had to see her...he needed to see her. He had to admit he was embarrassed for what he had tried to do, but surely she would forgive him. They were friends after all.

It was lunchtime now and the corridors and stairwells were desserted. (It was like a ghost town) All the kids were either downstairs in the canteen eating their lunch or outside in the playground. He put his freshly made cup of tea down and made his way over to the wall to check her timetable. "Nicki...Friday...Period 4...Right, she's in her own classroom." He said to himself running his finger over her timetable. He walked back to the counter, picked his tea up and made his way out.

He made his way down the desserted corridors. Without all the kids shouting and screaming, the corridors looked quite creepy but as he got closer to Nicki's room, he could hear the sound of faint crying. He peeked in and he saw something that would shock him forever, Nicki Boston wiping a river of tears that made there way down her face. Nicki was strong, she had restrained a knife carrying well known druggie and also was punched by Kyle stack and didn't retaliate. So what was it that made her hurt so bad...what was it that made Nicki Boston, a strong and fearless ex-army officer cry.

He gently tapped the door and opened it slightly "Nicki." he called in a soft voice trying not to scare her. "It's me, Tom. What's wrong." She noticed him coming in the door and wiped away the rest of her tears, she didn't want him to know why she was crying but she needed someone to hold her to tell her everything will be ok, she needed her own hero...Mabye Tom was hers. "Nothing...Nothing, it's fine." Her voice cracked, the tears spilling down her face and Tom noticed this. He came in and closed the door behind him, he then walked over to where Nicki was sitting. "Nicki, please tell me what's wrong." Her face was in her hands and she was sobbing uncontrollably. "Hey come here." he said as he took one of her hands of her face, and gently pulled her up from the seat behind the desk. The seat where she felt most comfortable, where she felt in control...but today it felt like everything was crumbling down around her like she was losing everything.

He looked into those sea blue eyes, the eyes he loved so much, the eyes he could not get out of his head when he was dreaming. He loved her more than friends but he couldn't tell her when she was like this...It would compromise their whole friendship. He flicked back a piece of hair that fell onto her face and lifted a hand and gently wiped away the tears that were slowly and silently making there way down her cheeks. She smiled, she really wanted to be in his arms right now with the feeling that someone understands her, Tom may not know her situation but at least he was there for her. She wanted him to protect her from the world she hated so much. He then done what anybody else in his situation would do he took her in his arms and told her everything will be ok. Nicki was so happy, Tom loved her and was there for her and she loved him too but would they ever be together? While her head was resting on his shoulder he placed gentle kisses on her head, he could smell her shampoo...her favourite shampoo and the shampoo he loved as well.

She pulled away "Thank you, I needed that." She said with a soft smile on her face. ""No problem." He said while stroking her cheek. He then placed a gentle, feather type kiss on her lips. The kind of kiss that didn't need to be finished with aggression but the kind of kiss that told her silently he would be there to take care of her. She was shocked when he kissed her on the lips but she didn't show it, she didn't know their friendship had come this far but she enjoyed having a friend there to help her through the tough times. This is what she needed, a stable and honest friend.

"Will you be OK?" Tom asked her, he didn't want to leave her alone if she wasn't going to be OK. "Yeah, thank you." She said while rubbing his arm. He kissed her on her head and walked to the door but as he got there he remebered something. "Come see me at the end of the day, I just want to make sure you're all right." "I will...thank you." She replied. He took the last few remaining steps and closed the door behind him. With Tom now away she sunk back into her chair took a deep breath and sighed. She didn't want Tom to see her like this but she couldn't turn back time so she sat there and went over in her head what had happened, Tom being there for her, understanding her, protecting her and kissing her. She smiled the last one made her feel or warm and fuzzy inside, she never really had a boyfriend who understood her. All her other boyfriends saw her as used goods or depressed, she didn't want to be know for that...she wanted to be know for the kind and caring person she was but only Tom saw that. Tom was one person who saw alot of things none of her other boyfriends did but none of her other boyfriend stuck around to see the real her. Tom did and she loved him for that but could they be more than friends?


	4. She took the chance

Best Friends  
Chapter 4

**Author notes: I'm sorry if it's really rubbish...I have a lot of things on my mind right now...Like my physics teacher knowing about me writng stories. He is also a PSE teacher who works along my PSE teacher, and my PSE is also an english teacher and my english teacher works along me PSE teacher so I'm just a bit scared that my teachers find out and penalise me (Especially my english teacher because he thinks I write rubbish stories) **

**Also everybody go and read **_**Start over **_ by _**becca410**_ (It's mostly a Linda/Michael story but there is also Sian/Jez and Michael/Sian also it's amazing and _**becca410**_ should be proud and one of the writers of _**Waterloo road**_)

_**PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW **_

_**Also It's quite a long chapter so please try to hold on and not let your mind wander **_

The end of day bell had just rung, all the pupils had left and Nicki was busy clearing up the paper balls that her year 11 and year 13 class had just made.

It was partially Michaels fault for her breakdown. He had this 'GREAT' idea that if he put security guards and metal detectors at the front of the school it would keep the gangs at bay. But when the LEA refused to pay, it left Michael with a choice, either let the gangs in to tear up the school or do something about it. Being Michael he chose to do something about it, he rotated some of the teachers to stand at the gate and not let any of the gangs in (She would have been the best choice because of all her army training) but Michael had a different Idea and he had decided to drop another class on her.

Zack Diamond (Or Zack Brown as he called himself) had started the whole 'Revolution' and it was all because his father had left. It wasn't her fault that Jez left, she didn't make him leave, Zack should be blaming Sian for having an affair with Michael but no he was too busy back-chatting and playing up. In all her years of teaching she had never broke down, not once, but because of him...because of one stupid boy she was going to cut again, normally she would write all her feelings in her diary but this couldn't be written into her diary this had to be sorted with physical pain. Everytime she cut she felt like her problems were melting away but after 3 years without cutting, 3 years of bottling things up she needed to let it out. It may leave scars all over her body and make her look ugly but she needed to get these feeling out. She was going to cut tonight, she knows that she'll regret it later but she doesn't care, what matters is here and now.

She had to keep her promise, she dropped all of the papers into the bin and made her way out of her classroom in search of Tom. She was walking down the corridor in search of Tom when she seen him in Grantly's classroom. She tapped on the door and stepped in. "Hey, I kept my promise but what are you doing in here?" she asked him. "Oh...I was covering Grantly's class." he replied. She pulled up a chair and sat beside him behind the desk and started to look at what he was marking. "Nicki." he said facing her. She took her head of of the marking and turned to face him "Yeah." she replied. "Is everything OK...I mean...nothing's bothering you." he asked her, he wanted to know because if there was he would try to help anyway he can, but being the strong and doesn't ask for help Nicki she replied "Yeah everythings fine." "You can tell me if something's wrong...you know that don't you." he was pleading with her now, he knew something was wrong with her he just needed to know what. "No, I promise you everything's fine." Nicki said with a fake smile on her face, really everything was wrong but she didn't need Tom's pity. "Well, ok if you're sure." He pushed a stand of hair back behind her ear and smiled at her, truly smiled...he had never felt like this in a long time. He had his fair share of bad relationships but this wasn't a relationship but in a way it felt like one. "Well if that's it I'm off." She said standing up making her way to the door. "See you Tom." "Yeah, see you Nicki."

He made his way up her driveway, he could tell that something was wrong ever since she met him in the classroom. Something was terribly wrong and that's what he was here to find out. He took a step, rang the door bell and breathed as he thinks "Is she going to answer."

She hears the door bell and thinks to herself "Who could that be." She had been sitting with her favourite book and a pot of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. She stood up, wiped her tears, closed and tied her dressing gown and made her way to the front door. When she came straight in from work she ran upstairs and got changed into her pyjamas and started to watch TV, she got bored with it and then started reading her favourite book. This is how she would plan her day, the day she would plan to put another scar on her hip, where she thought nobody would see it...she was wrong. She pushed down the door handle and slowly pulled back the door. "Tom, what are you doing here?" She asked wondering. "Are you ok...your eyes are red and blood shot." "Yeah I'm fine." she told him wiping her eyes as another couple of tears threatened to fall. Nicki wasn't alright she needed some one to hold her and say everything will be alright...secretly she hoped that guy would be Tom."Can I come in?" he asked, he didn't want to feel as if he was tresspassing if he just walked in. "Yeah." she nodded, stood back and pointed to the room closest to the door "The living room just in there if you want to sit down."

He walked through, lifted her favourite book off, placed it onto the table and sat down. "Thirteen reasons why. It's a good book." he told her. Nicki was now resting on the door frame, looking at Tom. She smiled, even through they were best friends there was something about him that made ladies swoon at his feet especially Nicki Boston (But she would never admit to that) "And how would you know." she asked him. "Im going to disregard that question." She laughed, noded and made her way to sit beside him. "Why do you like this book?" he asked her. Would she give him the gods honest truth or make something up. A tear rolled door her cheeck and she wiped it away quickly, she didn't want him to see that he walls were breaking down but he noticed. "Hey, I didn't mean to make you cry." he put a arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "It's not that." She burst into tears. "Hey...hey." He rubbed his hand up and down her back, trying to make her feel comfortable but she jumped away. She didn't mean to jump and make him feel bad but it was the anniversary of the start of the abuse and she felt really vunerable. "I'm sorry..." she apoligised. "It's just...I don't know how to tell you this...you'll probably run away and never come back." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Just tell me straight on." She turned to face him and took a deep breath. "I was raped and abused when I was younger and todays the anniversary of when it all started, so I'm sorry if I've been a bit off today." "No you haven't been off, you have dealt with today very well and I'm glad you have told me we can get through this together." "Thank you." she replied with tears still in her eyes. He threw his arms out and she jumped at the chance to cuddle him, she knew he would stick beside her through thick and thin. "Right, you're staying at my house tonight." he told her. "Now go and pack a bag and I'll be in the car waiting for you." "It's fine...I'll be fine." "No you won't, I'll get you to my house even if that means carrying you...there's no way you are getting out of this." She threw her hands up in the air and said "Ok I surrender." she pretended she didn't want to go but inside she really did. Spending a night at Tom's house even if they were sleeping in seperated bedrooms was a chance she had to take. She stood up, made her way to the door but she turned around to Tom and said "Back in two." She then leapt uptairs two by two, this was the chance she was waiting for.


	5. Tonight's the night

Chapter 5  
Best Friends

**Sorry about the slow story updates, I'm in the middle of most of my stories so they will be updated soon. My maths teacher had told me that I need to do my maths N.A.B's again so I'm in the middle of revision also it's Eurovision night tonight and I'm really enjoying it. **

He pulled the handbrake and pulled the keys out of the engine. He turned to face Nicki who was in her own little world staring at the raindrops that were making there way down the window. She had changed out of her pyjamas and was now in a pair of her skinny dark blue jeans, A white oversized t-shirt and a pair of brown brogues. Tom put his hand on her arm and whispered just loud enough for her to hear "Nicki, we're here." She breathed in, turned around to face him, smiled and said honestly. "Thank you for doing this. I didn't know how I was going to get through tonight." He patted just above her knee and said "It's ok but lets get in...I'm not sleeping in the car." She fake laughed. She had to admit she felt a bit uncomfortable when he touched her leg but she knew that he wasn't going to try anything so she was fine, that they were friends. They both stepped out of the car into the pouring rain and ran to get Nicki's suitcase that was in the boot. "I may be a touch emotional tonight but I have enough strength to carry a suitcase." He passed the suitcase that he got out of the boot to Nicki and they ran up the path, Tom ran ahead to open the door so that he and Nicki could get out of the rain.

She was hit with warmth as soon as she walked through the door. She was expecting it to be an unfamily-ish home with clean granite work surfaces and white rooms (A bit like a hospital) but it was clean,"Tidy" but Stylish for two grown men living together.

She walked into the living room and instantly thought "Family home" "I'm sorry if it's a bit messy." he said apologising, normally if he had visitors he would have made sure the house was extra tidy but Nicki wasn't a visitor in a way but in a way she still was, she didn't care if the house was a mess. They had only know each other for about four months but he felt like he had known he forever. She stepped onto the shaggy rug, the thin cotton strands wrapped around her feet. "No it's beautiful in here." The living room had a red, black and white theme. Red walls, a black fireplace and two white sofas. Nicki sat down on one of the couches and Tom sat beside her. "I was wondering, have you had any dinner?" he asked her. "Emmm..." she thought. "No, just that ice-cream...Shit, I fogot to put the ice-cream away." "It'll be fine, why don't you put your bags upstairs and by the time you come down I'll have something ready." he said to her. "Thank you." She picked up her bag, kissed Tom on the cheek and made her way upstairs. "First on the right." Tom shouted upstairs as he got the take-away menu out of the drawer.

She pushed down the door handle and entered the room. The room was what you would have expected for being a spare bedroom, It had no character and was very minamalistic. There was a double bed, a chest of drawers, a TV and 2 bedside cabinets. She dropped the suitcase on the bed, unzipped it and started to unpack.

About 30 minutes later she came back downstairs. She looked into the livingroom and found Tom sitting on one of the couches drinking and eating away at one of the pizzas he bought. "Don't eat it all." Nicki said as she walked into the room. "I was about to shout you down." She pulled one of her really faces and they both erupted in laughter as she sat down.

About 1 hour later, they had both finished dinner and were now sitting on the couch talking, the pizza boxes were still scattered on the coffee table along with the beer bottles. It was nearing 12 o'clock and Nicki was getting tired. She stood up and stretched. "It looks like someone's getting tired." Tom said to her, she had been lying on his lap for the last hour falling asleep. " Yeah, I better hit the hay." She knelt on the sofa, cupped her left hand round his face and kissed his temple. She stood back up and walked to the door, "Night Tom." "Yeah, night Nicki." he replied. She walked out of the door, climed the stairs and made her way into her room.


	6. Nightmares which keep us up at night

Chapter 6  
Best Friends

**Sorry for it taking so long, I've had stuff to deal with...like me taking my other thumb nail off. (My right one got trapped in a car door and my nail is weird) and my left one, I recently took a chunk out of using a razor but not on purpose...obviously**

**Also I'm sorry that nothing really happened in the last chapter and nothing much is going to happen in this chapter as well **

She wolk up with a fright, she couldn't prepare herself for what would happen in her dreams...especially this one. The memories of what had happened when she was younger haunted her every night, especially tonight, The night it all started. It would only be once a month but then it got more regular, once a week and then came the time it happened every night. She would be scared to go to sleep because she knew what was coming.

Beads of sweat were making their way down her face. Her breathing was shallow and rapid and she was terrified to go back to sleep. There was only one person who could make her feel better and that person was only a couple of feet away, sleeping in the next room.

She opened the door and made her way out into the hallway, the soft carpet wrapping it's self around her ankles and gently ticking the sole's of her feet. She could see him now, his chest gently rising and falling and his eyes closed. She tip-toed across the floor and over to his big double bed. She tapped him on the shoulder "Tom." She whispered. He was unresponsive, she tapped him again "Tom." He rolled over and was now facing her. He propped himself up on a pillow and said "Nicki, what do you want?." He then glanced over to the digital clock that was on his bedside table, the light blinding his eyes. "it's two thirty." While figeting with her fingers she replied "Emm...no, it's alright." He swung his legs over the end of the bed and pulled her inbetween them. "Tell me...Please." She looked down to the ground, she was just a tad embarrassed and it was because she was wearing her old scruffy grey cotton tracksuit bottoms and a strappy t-shirt. "You had a nightmare?...didn't you." He asked. She nodded, she didn't want to remember her memories. He put his legs back under the covers and tapped the uncovered bit of bed beside him. She was a bit reluctant but she slipped in anyway. She lay her head on his chest and he lay on arm protectively on her stomach while the other arm breezed through her hair. "It's OK, you're safe I'm not going to let anything hurt you...and that's a promise, now go to sleep and we'll talk in the morning." He kissed her on the head as she closed her eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	7. Like a mother cat nursing it's young

Best friends  
Chapter 7

**Author's notes: I have noticed how (Nom) Nicki and Tom's relationship is kind of like Nikki and Harry's (Silent Witness) eventhough Waterloo road didn't cover Nom most people have turned it into a Nikki and Harry relationship minus the pathology part also I'm sorry if It took so long I've had school stuff to do...revision etc. **

**This is part 1**

He had been watching her sleep for the last 10 minutes, It was now turning 10:30 am and Nicki showed no signs of waking up soon. The bright sunlight was streaming through the window and illuminating the room. He looked down to see the sleeping beauty who was in his arms, he stroked her hair and kissed her on her forehead. The duvet which covered them last night was now lying folded back on itself and lying at both of their waists and their legs were wrapped around each others as they were lying together in the middle of the bed.

Her jet black hair was sprawled all over his chest and she was gripping onto him, like she never wanted to let go. He smiled down at her, she had never looked so beautiful...except from the time he had first met her, the way she looked so professional in her duck egg blue shirt and her pinstripe black trouser suit. Her eyelids fluttered against his chest, telling him that she was waking up. She looked up at him and remembered how she had got here, how she had creeped in and wolk him up in the middle of the night.

"Morning." he whispered into her ear. "Hi." She said with a smile on her face, It felt good to have someone to cuddle into, someone who wouldn't leave her, Someone who was still there in the morning. She stretched and lay her head back down on his chest. Her t-shirt had rolled up a bit and she was now showing the scars that she had cut into her hip years ago, the scars she didn't want Tom to see. She pushed herself up into a sittng position and dropped her head in shame, Tom had seen her scars and how stupid she had been all those years ago. He saw those little, faded lines and knew exactly what they were, how could she not trust him with her secrets, maybe she had been broken too many times, he had to show her that she could trust him. He dragged his fingers all the way down the t-shirt till he reached the scars that were on her hip, he softly dragged one finger over each of the scars that had been made on her body and studied each one. He lifted his head up and looked into her eyes, he could see the pain and agony that was there all those years ago creeping back, her lifted his head and kissed her cheek, "You're beautiful...even with those scars." he whispered "But how did you get them?"

"When my mum left everything went down hill." she replied. He knew something bad had happened to her when she was younger, but he wasn't going to push her to find out the answer, he would let her answer in her own time. "It's Ok, you don't have to..." he was cut of by her saying. "I want to...I need to." "Ok, but I just want you to know I'm not pushing you." She leant her head back on his chest, she just wanted to say it and get it over and done with but here he was thinking he was being helpful. "My dad started geting drunk every night." Tears dripped from her face onto Tom's muscular torso. "And that's when it started." Tom knew what she was talking about, she had told him yesterday about part of her past and he respected the fact that she was abused when she was younger, but he also respected the fact that she had to keep some secrets and that she couldn't trust some people without testing the water first. "It was only once a month, but then it got more regular...every night...I was so scared to go to sleep because I knew what was coming but when I turned 16 I got enough courage to find my mum and tell her what had been happening. She whipped me so fast out of that house and got my dad put in prison...truthfully that's were he belongs. He deserves to be there." He wipped the tears he had made from his eyes, Nicki spilling her life story to him made him happy because that told him she could trust him but also made him so sad because she had gone all through that when she was younger and had nobody to tell.

She rubbed her nose into his neck, like a mother cat nursing it's young. She felt so bad spilling her life to him, she felt she had gave him more problems to deal with...his child had just been put in a mental hospital and here he was laying with her in bed listening to her problems instead of her listening to his. The phone rang from downstairs, he slid out from under her and dropped onto the floor. He leaned in, kissed her head an whispered. "I'll be back soon just wait here." She pulled the cover around her and snuggled into the pillow, she felt safe and loved and she couldn't wait till he came back.


	8. Good news and bad news

Best friends  
Chapter 8

**Author's notes: This is no way related to Heather Peace, just the alter ego I created in this story **

He rushed downstairs; he wondered who would be calling at this time on a Saturday morning but when he picked up the phone, he immediately knew who it was and why.

"Is that Tom." The person on the phone asked him.

"Yeah, it's Tom" He replied.

"The is Rochdale MA and we are on the phone to say that the treatment on your son worked and he is coming home today."

"Yes." He screamed "THANK YOU."

Nicki could hear the screams from downstairs and knew what was happening, If Josh was coming back today she couldn't stay in her pyjamas, she would have to be ready and away before he came back. She jumped out of bed and her feet landed on the warm carpet. That's the thing she hated about Tom's house, it was really hot in summer and really cold in winter. She striped her t-shirt and grey cotton joggers off, both landed on the carpet beside each other and were a guide to where she was going.

She slipped into Tom's clean en-suite bathroom and looked in the full length mirror that hung on the back of the bathroom door. Standing in her black lacy underwear she could she her "Curves." Everybody else saw a anorexic female in her mid 30s, her sharp bones nearly popping out of her pale skin, Her bony fingers and her stick thin legs but what she saw was a lot different, a female mid 30s with pale skin and curves.  
Nothing like the real her.

She turned and opened the cupboard under the sink, pulled a big towel out and put it on the worktop. She leaned over the bath to turn the taps on but she saw Tom's silver razor lying on the corner of the bath. She was strong, she didn't need to...she couldn't.

Tom was now running up the stairs with the house phone in his hand. He had just recieved brilliant news about Josh and how he was coming home today, he couldn't wait to tell Nicki. He ran into his room where he left her. She wasn't on the bed but then he saw the pile of clothes leading into the bathroom, he followed them, he couldn't wait to tell Nicki the news. That's when he saw her, lying on the now red tiled floor, her eyes fading and blood gushing from her slashed wrists. He rushed over and wrapped his arms around her, with tears in his eyes he whispered "Nicki, just hang on." He picked up the phone that he threw on the floor and phoned the ambulance.

* * *

It was now 5 o'clock and Nicki was lying in a hospital be unconcious, She had lost a lot of blood. The only sounds that could be heard were the beep...beep of the heart rate monitor and the drip..drip of the blood flowing into Nicki's body. Tom was sitting in a hard plastic chair beside her, her hand in his. He was hoping and praying that she would be ok.

Josh put his key in the lock and opened the door. He dropped the bag that he had in his hands onto the wooden floorboards, the house was quiet...too quiet. He opened the living room door, nothing was out of it's place but there was a pair of pink, fluffy slippers on the floor infront of the sofa. "That's weird." he thought to himself. He checked the rest of the rooms downstairs everything was normal. He ran upstairs and checked his room, everything was as he left it. He then looked in his dads room, there was a pair od grey cotton joggers and a pink t-shirt on the floor. "Dad's had a female over..couldn't get me out fast enough." He then made his way to the spare bedroom and opened the door. There was a open suitcase on the bed, make up and perfume on the top of the table and towels and clothes scattered all over the floor. He made his way over to the wardrobe and opened it, skimming through the clothes he thought he reconginsed a shirt...he did. It was duck egg blue, he pulled an image out of his memory, he knew who it was...It was Nicki's. He screamed...His dad was doing another teacher for like the 3rd time. He pulled his mobile out of his pocket and phoned his dad, he had a lot of questions like what was Nicki doing here? and where was his dad?

His phoned vibrated, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen to see who was phoning him. It was Josh. He kissed Nicki's hand and whispered "Get better my sleeping angel." He slipped out of the room, down the corridor and out of the doors at the bottom. He was now in the carpark where nobody could disturb him.

"Josh, what's up?"

"I was just phoning to tell you I'm home." He said. "But I have a question."

"Yeah." Tom said unsure

"What is Nicki doing here, please don't say your shagging her."

"No I'm not." Tom half shouted, he was shocked and angry, he couldn't believe that Josh would think that way.

"Well I was kind of expecting it to happen, everybody was."

"Well I can tell you we're not, something happened to her and she stayed over last night."

"Well, where are you?" Josh asked.

"In hospital, she tried to commit suicide this morning"

"Oh, is she ok, I didn't mean to pry."

"No, she's ok but unconscious, she lost a lot of blood but I'll be back soon."

"Yeah, ok." Josh replied. "If she wakes up tonight just say that I hope she gets better."

"Yeah, I will...thanks"

"No bother." Josh replied as he hung up the phone.


End file.
